The national election begins locally

Gen. William T. Sherman wrote to encourage his friend, Gen. U.S. Grant, saying that Grant’s “chief characteristic is the simple faith in success.” For example, Grant arrived in besieged Chattanooga after the Union defeat at Chickamauga, replaced the general in command and set out to remove Confederates from mountains around and lift the siege. And they were removed. Grant was, in the end, simply, successful.

That’s how I see Barack Obama. He has a simple faith in success. He came to Washington to work in partnership with Republicans, to change the way Washington does business. That was his idea of success. He threw everything into compromise, even appeasement, but the Republican strategy was to deny him partnership so that he would not have success.

This year, I think we’re going to see a wartime President Obama in the style of wartime Gen. Grant. He knows the enemy on the Hill has no good intentions toward him. If he’s blocked as before by the Republican Congress, he will simply tell us to remove them.

I’m already in uniform and beating my drum outside the recruiting office. This is an invitation to Mountain Xpress readers to get started toward carrying North Carolina for Obama and giving him a Democratic Congress. (Anyone who wants an Obama bumper sticker should write ballardpolitics@aol.com, with your name and address, and we’ll send one out to you.)

— Lee Ballard
Mars Hill